Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-06-20

the sacred mysteries of the house Of COM
mons, and he put me on the right track and
got me the order.
took it very thankful, and day or two
afterward tried it on the same policeman
and went in. After him saw half dozen
more and after as much monkey business as
went through to jine my lodge, got to the
door of the house. had special ticket
that let me into seat holding eight people
on the floor of the house, and passing the last
doorkeeper / got in. And what did l see! A
magnificent hall. in purple and gilt, with gold
thrones and porphyry seats and so fcrtha Not
much 1t was a dark, dingy oak finished
room with a seating capacity of 800, with
leather covered benches, four rows deep. run
ming along the sides, with galleries above and
across the ends; all for members but the ends
and the narrow place where l was 1t
wasn't any better than the court house at
Wayback, aud ! began to think they had all
them police around to keep people from find
ing out just how poor and mean the place
was. The speaker has a canopied chair at
one end opposite the main door, and there
amt enough doors in the place for candi-
date to have any show in Citing job for a
valuable constituent.
They don't have any desks like we do; no
freplaces and sofys at the back to set around
and tell stories; no cloak room handy to loaf
in during long speeches; no smoking, and
nary spittoon in the whole enclosure.
Every man sets with his plug hat on, but takes
it off when he gets up to talk, and the entire
surroundings are as uncomfortable as they
could be made. The speaker wears white
wig, and, with his clerks, is about the only
man that looks like they had come to stay
They had commenced business when got in,
and about five minutes later l heerd the
doorkeeper and so forth outside yelling:
snake way for the Black Rod! make way
for the Black Rodw and the Black Rod
came in. he was . thin, little old chap in
knee breeches and black swallow tail coat,
and looked like the apothecary in Romeo
and Juliet" and carried a gold mounted
black rod in his hand. He bowed himself up
to the speaker, delivered a message from the
house Of lords, backed out bowling, and then
the speaker and the members fell in behind
him and went over to the lords side. asst
what 1t all meant, and they told ME that was
the way the lords reported bill to the house.
I'd like to see Secretary McCook or Cole
SIMPSON come over from the senate some
day rugged out that way and take us con-
gressmen over to their side to tell us what
they had done with bill. A revolution or a
Chicago anarchy wouldn't be patchin' to it.
When they came back business proceeded,
and had fair chance to see good many of
the members. Gladstone set over near the
speaker i'll the front row, looking hale and
hearty, but he talked like an old man, with
the shake in his voice, and some of the mem
beers yelled "Hearn "Hear" when he sat
down. w. II. Smith, the leader of the other
side, sets nearly opposite, and he had good
many questions to answer from the Irish
members. Healy, the member from Ireland,
reminded me of Brother Springer, from the
number OF times he had something to say,
but he didn't wear a buttonhole bouquet.
and lot more of them seemed about as ac-
tive in keeping still as some of our members
OF congress. Healy is nice looking man, of
middlin size, dark hair and whiskers and
wears glasses. Randolph Churchill set in his
corner all the time, pulling his mustache and
thinking about something else besides poll
tics, I'll bet dollar. He looked like a man
that had got up out of bed that morning
wrong end foremost didn't see Parneu or
Joe Chamberlain. reckon they must have
been busy at committee meeting noticed
a good many members who looked like bo--s. |
ami their faces were as smooth as a billiard
ball. On an average, the body might have
been set down in our house of representa-
nyes and man in the gallery couldn't have
told the difference. mean by that that they
are all purity good looking men.
They swore III new member, too, and
when he came in every man raised yell foI.
q minute, and by that time the ceremony was
over and he was III his scat | never seen a |
man railroaded through quicker
***
Then the house went into the committee of |
the whole, and Mr.. Courtney in a dress suit
took the chair on the Irish crimes bill. One |
member made G speech that nobody could
hear, and a division was called for. was |
getting interested, when all at once q door |
keeper popped i'll and turned every visitor of |
US out, and done it with about as much |
Doliteness as l would drive a lot of hogs out |
Of my cornfeld in Wayback thought he |
would take hold of me once, and was &c ting
'eady to give him sample of congressional |
muscle, but he wisely forebore, and we got
put without accident 70 him. This is another
If the Old togy customs, and is about as all
ired silly piece of business as know of. II
$ even worse than an executive session of the
United States senate Nobody knows why
hey do it, and they don't know Themselves.
We al went out in the lobby, and the more
thought about it the mlddcr l got, aid,
-naijy, told a man l wouldn't stay in such
. gang, and I didn't. l went home and |
alked in such way that Mandy said if had
AIKEN another drink | would have had to
ONE home III a patrol wagon. But l was
lpiy sober, and l will leave it to any con-
FRESHMAN of unbiased opinion if I didn't have
uough to make ME mad
The more sec Of these etfete monarchies
he hpttpy I lilo la land of I've At |
n which Liberty blooms like the rose of
iharon and the lily of the valley. No more
t present. Yours truly,
w. Q. WAxEa,